her.
“I think it’s time to tell,” René said slowly.
Carefully transferring Romeo to the couch, I got up and looked out the window for Ethan. I could see his outline moving up the driveway. I was still too shaken up to feel awkward. I turned to face René. I paused, thinking of the best way to explain it. “Well, you already know about demons.”
“Yeah,” she followed.
“Well, there are good and bad forces,” I said and instantly regretting my lame choice in words. I shook my head and started over. “I’m a witch, a witch with real powers.” I stopped again, going over what I wanted to say in my head.
“And?”
“I’m part of a coven you have to be born into.”
There was a thirty second silence while René thought. “What’s so special about the coven?”
“Witches from my coven,” I felt like I was stumbling over my words. “We kill demons,” I simplified. “There’s no easy way to say it. I have this nifty athame that kills demons on impact and only witches from my coven can make it work.”
René nodded again. Goosebumps broke out on her exposed skin. “That’s how you knew how to kill the reapers,” she whispered. I nodded. Her eyes flicked back to my Guardian. “So how do you know Hunter’s thoughts?”
“I can’t really explain it.” I crossed the room to hug my Guardian. “I just know. And he knows mine. It’s not like we communicate telepathically or anything. He is a Guardian. I think every witch in the coven has one, and they protect us.”
René folded her arms around herself. “Wow.”
“Yeah,” I agreed because I didn’t know what else to say. I perched on the edge of the couch and took a ragged breath. We both jumped when the door opened.
“All clear,” Ethan told us.
“Are you part of the Coven too?” René asked slowly.
“No.” Ethan joined me on the couch. “I’m part of something else.”
“I see.” René blinked several times. After a minute of really uncomfortable silence, Ethan suggested we watch a movie. René looked at him like it was insane to suggest something so normal in a time like this. Frankly, as Ethan reminded us, there was nothing we could do. Neither he nor Hunter found any lingering trace of evil to believe that a demon had been near. He was quite content believing what I had seen was something ghostly and firmly believed that the protective spell Aunt Estelle put on the house was bound to wear off eventually.
It was a bit of a relief when René left. I felt worn out and still upset from seeing Romeo—no matter real or fake— like that. I snuggled close next to Ethan as soon as we got into bed. Hunter stretched out on my other side, sandwiching me between two very protective individuals. It took a while to let my mind relax, but eventually I fell asleep.
Something reeked. The smell was bad enough to wake me up. “Ew, Hunter, was that you?” I accused my big dog sleepily. He slowly opened one eye and gave me a ‘don’t blame me’ look before going back to sleep. The smell grew stronger. “Sick.” I wafted fresh air in my face. It smelled like rotting garbage. Something scuttled across the floor. I shot up.
An outline slowly moved in the doorway. I knew I was tired but that looked like…it climbed up the door frame. Oh my God, it was! “Ethan!” I shook him. “Ethan!”
“Mmm,” he moaned.
I shook him harder. “There’s a monkey!”
“No there’s not.”
“Yes, there is!” I shook him even harder. He swatted my hand away. “Hunter, look!” I told my Guardian and pointed to the door. The monkey paused halfway up the frame and turned to look at me. I jumped and almost screamed. Instead of a cute little monkey face, the head of a barn owl stared me down. It opened its beak and disappeared. My heart pounded in my chest and red-hot fear pulsed through my body. I gasped in shock.
That got Ethan’s attention. “What is it?” He sat up. I didn’t take my eyes off the door frame. Hunter lifted his head
“I think it’s time to tell,” René said slowly.
Carefully transferring Romeo to the couch, I got up and looked out the window for Ethan. I could see his outline moving up the driveway. I was still too shaken up to feel awkward. I turned to face René. I paused, thinking of the best way to explain it. “Well, you already know about demons.”
“Yeah,” she followed.
“Well, there are good and bad forces,” I said and instantly regretting my lame choice in words. I shook my head and started over. “I’m a witch, a witch with real powers.” I stopped again, going over what I wanted to say in my head.
“And?”
“I’m part of a coven you have to be born into.”
There was a thirty second silence while René thought. “What’s so special about the coven?”
“Witches from my coven,” I felt like I was stumbling over my words. “We kill demons,” I simplified. “There’s no easy way to say it. I have this nifty athame that kills demons on impact and only witches from my coven can make it work.”
René nodded again. Goosebumps broke out on her exposed skin. “That’s how you knew how to kill the reapers,” she whispered. I nodded. Her eyes flicked back to my Guardian. “So how do you know Hunter’s thoughts?”
“I can’t really explain it.” I crossed the room to hug my Guardian. “I just know. And he knows mine. It’s not like we communicate telepathically or anything. He is a Guardian. I think every witch in the coven has one, and they protect us.”
René folded her arms around herself. “Wow.”
“Yeah,” I agreed because I didn’t know what else to say. I perched on the edge of the couch and took a ragged breath. We both jumped when the door opened.
“All clear,” Ethan told us.
“Are you part of the Coven too?” René asked slowly.
“No.” Ethan joined me on the couch. “I’m part of something else.”
“I see.” René blinked several times. After a minute of really uncomfortable silence, Ethan suggested we watch a movie. René looked at him like it was insane to suggest something so normal in a time like this. Frankly, as Ethan reminded us, there was nothing we could do. Neither he nor Hunter found any lingering trace of evil to believe that a demon had been near. He was quite content believing what I had seen was something ghostly and firmly believed that the protective spell Aunt Estelle put on the house was bound to wear off eventually.
It was a bit of a relief when René left. I felt worn out and still upset from seeing Romeo—no matter real or fake— like that. I snuggled close next to Ethan as soon as we got into bed. Hunter stretched out on my other side, sandwiching me between two very protective individuals. It took a while to let my mind relax, but eventually I fell asleep.
Something reeked. The smell was bad enough to wake me up. “Ew, Hunter, was that you?” I accused my big dog sleepily. He slowly opened one eye and gave me a ‘don’t blame me’ look before going back to sleep. The smell grew stronger. “Sick.” I wafted fresh air in my face. It smelled like rotting garbage. Something scuttled across the floor. I shot up.
An outline slowly moved in the doorway. I knew I was tired but that looked like…it climbed up the door frame. Oh my God, it was! “Ethan!” I shook him. “Ethan!”
“Mmm,” he moaned.
I shook him harder. “There’s a monkey!”
“No there’s not.”
“Yes, there is!” I shook him even harder. He swatted my hand away. “Hunter, look!” I told my Guardian and pointed to the door. The monkey paused halfway up the frame and turned to look at me. I jumped and almost screamed. Instead of a cute little monkey face, the head of a barn owl stared me down. It opened its beak and disappeared. My heart pounded in my chest and red-hot fear pulsed through my body. I gasped in shock.
That got Ethan’s attention. “What is it?” He sat up. I didn’t take my eyes off the door frame. Hunter lifted his head
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